Prague

Our October travels led us to Eastern Europe. We were in search of history and found surprises both in the old and new.  Prague, geographically palimpsest. Layers of history, culture and people.  Traces of empires and histories many wish to forget are wore into the buildings, roads and memories. From the arrival of the Slavic peoples in the 6^th century, the many years under the Austria-Hungary monarchy, the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, then into the communists rule of Russia. Rob and I were now visitors in the newly independent country of the Czech Republic. The “Velvet Divorce” occurred in 1993 two separate states were created out of the former Czechoslovakia: the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.

It was the beauty of Prague that struck us…

The John Lennon Wall

Jonh Lennon was seen as a hero to much of the youth in communist controlled East Europe. His songs, along with most popular music, was banned. With his death in 1980 youth began to paint pictures of him on this wall, along with anti-goverment messages and messages of peace. This was a form of activism, a way to speak out against the strict totalitarian rule. The communist police tried again and again to white wash the wall, but they could never manage to keep it clean. Messages of peace, hope and love still cover the wall in a place where John never visited in body, but maybe in spirit.

Czech Folk Party

Lift a finger, the wine is poured.

Terezin

Terezin was built in the late 18th century as a military barracks for the Habsburg Empire to fight off Prussians. During WWII, the Nazis used it as an internment camp for Jewish people and those charged of anti-Nazi crimes. Nazis made propaganda war films in the camp to show that life inside the camp was tolerable, covering up obscene atrocities and deplorable conditions. A staggering number of innocent people were killed and died under the conditions. Over 120,000 Jewish people from Terezin were sent to extermination camps in Poland. The grounds now contain the Monument to the Victims of Nazism, and serves as a tragic reminder of unimaginable suffering and crimes against humanity. The nearby museum holds art and artifacts made by children during life in the internment camp.

Please visit the Jewish Virtual Library to learn more.

“Work will set you free”

Just outside the Terezine museum,  people in the town were gathering for a festival and celebrating a battle reenactment.

Kafka and Modern Prague

The fact that such a museum exists is thrilling, especially since Kafka never lived to see fame or recognition for his work. The space inside is darkly lit, with a nice balance of reading to visual stimuli. Baroque music plays in the background, and images from his writings are brought to life as props and artifacts. Kafka sacrificed much to provide for his family, and struggled with a double life as an insurance accountant and that of a writer. He gave testimony against the soul crushing, empty fulfillment of meaningless work, and seemed to predict (and condemn) the rise of beurocratic and corporate institutions. My favorite Kafka quote depicted inside the museum: “Evil is what distracts.”

Budapest

Food Tour

We were informed that you always start with a welcome drink of Unicum… For us it was 10AM, but 5 o’clock somewhere! Unicum is the most famous hungarian drink and an herbal liqueur.

Meat, meat and more meat! 

Brains anyone?

Rob’s sample platter including beef tongue, and horse. He was a good sport and tried everything!

Pickling is very common here.

Pickled Watermelons!

Lunch. (Rob’s)

Sweets.

                       Ashley sampling the local fare

Candy Shop

We were in Budapest during their annual Contemporary Arts Festival. We were able to catch a performance from Cirque Le Roux. no cameras allowed, but check out the preview from the performance via Youtube.

Budapest Street Art and Politics

Budapest, like many large cities, is divide into different districts, each with their own history and personality. We visited District VII, the Former Jewish Quarter which is now a vibrant cultural center. This is where the youth hang out, and is filled with dog parks, cafes displaying local artwork, and lots of bars. We were here to check out the street art. This district supported a movement to turn empty “fire walls” into public works of art. Many of the murals here were created based on a theme of juxtaposition. Being stuck between two worlds. Much like Prague, Budapest has seen many political shifts over its life. It used to be two very different cities Buda, and Pest. Even though the cities have been one for a very long time, there is still a difference felt from one side of the river to the other. The Buda side is a hilltop with castles, parliaments and gleaming houses, looking down below at the working class Pest. The pieces below tried to capture this feeling.

Not so legal street art

A Space Invader

Another neat part of district VII are Ruinpubs. This was a movement started around the year 2000 to use old abandoned buildings and turn them into something useful… pubs.  Here is an expcerpt from Ruinpubs.com explaing them in more detail “They do not work in a franchise system, there is no specified design, and there are no rules, how to make them. Every place has a unique style and atmosphere. In Szimpla kert (Simple Garden) you can have a beer in a cannibalized old Trabant car.”  

Photo credit for USA today.
(We felt weird taking pictures of strangers while there. lol)

Amsterdam

We visited Amsterdam for a couple of days on our way home this summer. We only took a few photos, because we were so busy trying to soak it all in. We thought this might be the best blog post to sneak the few we took in…

We really loved the city. The people were friendly and happy. There were families of all types and lots of cute dogs! The people took care of their city, and it took care of them.

The city of bikes.

Van Gogh Museum

VondelPark

                             The Rijksmuseum

The Anne Frank House

 

We were in Amsterdam when the Netherlands were playing Argentina in the World Cup. They lost the game, but it was a fun match to watch! There was standing room only at every bar in the city!